Ablaze
by PsychoBrunette
Summary: Alternate Ending to Catching Fire and therefore Mockingjay. Katniss is captured along with Peeta and the others but she is never rescued. instead she makes a deal with Snow one that if broken could light a new fire.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Katniss Everdeen shot an arrow connected to an arrow laced with electrical current through the force field surrounding the arena of the Quarter Quell. This shot blew out the force field and signaled the official start of the rebellion of the districts that has consumed Panem since. Katniss was meant to be rescued by a rebel hovercraft but was instead captured by the Capitol along with Peeta Mellark, Johanna Mason, and District 2 victor, Enobaria. Along with these four Annie Cressa was captured from district 4 to be used as bait for Finnick Odair, who along with District 3 victor, Beetee, was rescued by the rebels of district 13. The remaining tributes believed to be siding with the rebels were killed while the tributes believed to be on our side were killed by the rebels.

Katniss Everdeen, deemed the Mockingjay by the rebels, remains the symbol for the growing rebellion. As punishment for her direct at of rebellion Katniss' home district, District 12 was bombed killing the majority of the residents. We have reason to believe the surviving members of District 12 escaped to District 13.

The main goal of this meeting is to discuss the torture and future of the captive rebels.

From their torturing we have gathered that neither Katniss, Peeta nor Enobaria knew anything about the rebel motives, although both Katniss and Peeta were unknowingly involved in rebel plans. What information we have been able to gleam from Johanna has been unhelpful as if she was given useless information.

Enobaria was released immediately after it was discovered she had nothing to do with the rebels.

Others who were suspected to have contact with or know something about the rebels were captured. Mr. Mellark's prep team and designer were publicly executed as a warning to all who support the rebels. Effie Trinket, District 12's escort, remains captive and is being held for further investigation. The two Avoxes assigned to serve the District 12 tributes are being tortured because they seem to have significant meaning to Miss Everdeen.

Katniss' prep team was rescued by the rebels along with Plutarch Heavensbee, Head Gamemaker and behind rebel activity, and his assistant Fulvia Carden.

Annie Cressa does not have to be tortured much. Her mind is already broken. And so we merely play on the insecurities of her broken mind. We let her go off into her world, thinking she is safe, and then invade it breaking down her sense of safety. By doing this we reinstate the fear she faced in the arena, the fear that crippled her and left her mind crazed.

Johanna Mason is being tortured with water and electricity, implanting in her the fear of water. This is in hopes to handicap her. It will make simple things such as; rain, showers, lakes etc. seem terrifying and will set her back if she is ever released.

Peeta Mellark is being tortured with fire, mainly near is hands. As a baker's son he handled ovens and fires or was at least around them nearly every day as a child. By instating a fear of fire we are making him fear childhood memories. This wouldn't work in Johanna's case with water, but in Mr. Mellark's case fire was an instrumental idea in his childhood he not only saw and used it but interacted with it, was taught to rely on it. This is also ensuring that if he is ever released he will not be able to return to his past life easily. He is also furthered handicapped by the large burns on his hands and upper arms.

As the Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen's form of torture is much more complex. I myself spent weeks on it. The goal was not to just insert a small fear into her or handicap her but make her truly afraid of the Capitol. To make her believe that we were behind her every nightmare. We've been making her nightmares come alive an inserting new nightmares.

It started simply, observing her as she slept. Every time she gave the signs of a nightmare an analyst came into her room and poked her with a short metal rod that produced a metal shock. This was use as conditioning; the next day all we had to do was administer another shock in the same place of the same frequency and level of energy and then she would relive her nightmare and recount the tale.

After a week of observing her nightmares we began recreating them, either images she had to watch on a large screen while or interacting with the nightmare seeing it happen all around her. It was magnificent.

After a week of recreating her nightmares we began developing new ones. We sent horrible fiendish mutts in after her, chasing her around the room biting and clawing at her, leaving real scratches, making her bleed real blood. And then just as one goes in for the kill they all vanish. Over time the nightmares we put her through were reflected in her dreams which we monitor even now. Eventually we began pushing the limits of the nightmares, each one more terrifying then the last.

Yet the image that terrifies her the most, the nightmare that has created the best reaction seems so simple and hardly dangerous compare to others.

We place her bed in a deep pit filled with writhing snakes. Over time the snakes coiled and swelled but did nothing but writhe and hiss. This seemed to scare Katniss; she stares at the snakes with panic in her eyes. Then one by one from each snake rolled waves of a scent we know terrifies her; the stench of blood and roses. As the coppery yet sweet smell filled the pit, she began to scream.

The worse the smell got the louder she screamed; and still the snakes did nothing. This panicked her even more for she leapt into the pit and began to rip the snakes apart. Even this failed to draw a reaction from the snakes and eventually she collapsed onto the bed sobbing and screaming.

What does this tell us?

It tells us that we have the victors, the Mockingjay, the upper hand. And on top of all that the dear Mockingjay is afraid of our president, who smells of blood and roses.

Yet the fighting in the districts tells us the spark has not been quenched by the Mockingjay's capture.

She is the Mockingjay. As long as she lives so does the rebellion.

So to end this we must end her."

Snow smiled as the Peacekeeper stopped talking.

The woman, Ramona Sludge was in charge of all torture programs and a master psychologist.

She had been getting a lot of attention from his colleagues lately he thought as he stared at the woman pondering. The tall brunette did not waver under his unending gaze. She was quite impressive really and had a wonderful talent for getting inside of people's head's. She was an asset for taking down the Mockingjay.

But he would have to kill her soon.

It was a waste and a pity but it had to be done.

Snow shook himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat speaking softly but projecting so the whole room could hear him, "And just how do you propose we do that Miss Sludge? You don't expect us to just kill her do you?"

The woman appeared nervous but managed to squeak out, "Of course not sir! In fact I thought…"

But he waved his hand interrupting her, "Of course not. Yes it might snuff out the rebellion for a while but she would not suffer. Shouldn't she pay for her crimes? If we kill her know with no warning without giving the rebels just a little hope, than they can and will recuperate and try again in a few years. But if we give them a slight hope before crushing them, they'll stay down so much longer. We must do to her what we did to District 13, fake her death just as the rebels think they might win, then hide her and give her a reason to stay hidden.

We have Mr. Mellark, but does she really love him? And even if she does she will not hide just because of him. They would both rather die than be the reason for the other's submission. We must give Katniss Everdeen a real reason to fear us, not just some silly nightmares," here people around the room laughed while Ramona Sludge blushed, "we must give her something, someone to love. To love so fiercely that she would die if the something, someone was taken away from her.

Does everyone understand me?" the whole room nodded fiercely at him and he nodded once back before stepping out of his chair and sweeping away from the room. A few seconds later a red Ramona Sludge followed wiping a few angry tears out of her eyes.

Six weeks later a rebel broadcast went out containing, one half-drunk Haymitch telling the Capitol and the districts the Mockingjay would never submit, and one Finnick Odair telling the world of Panem secrets both deadly and amusing that allowed another set of rebels to rescue Peeta Mellark, Annie Cressa and Johanna Mason.

After arriving in District 13 the three stood huddled together, Annie screaming frantically at any one who came within four feet of them. Eventually Finnick and Haymitch arrived and were able to calm down the situation only to learn from a dead eyed Johanna that Katniss was dead. Peeta collapsed on the floor sobbing into his hands and Annie started screaming 'No, No, No!' as doctors tried to examine the three.

Two days later the Capitol sent out the official message that the Mockingjay was dead going so far as to show a clip of her death. She had somehow managed to escape her room and ran down the hallway frantically searching for Peeta. Just as he had walked out into the hallway Peacekeeper guards showed up and shot her repeatedly.

The rebels seemed dazed as to how their Mockingjay died in a backless medical dress instead of in action bow in hand.

A day after the clip was aired rebels took districts eight seven and six completely. Barely three hours after their victory Snow sent a message to rebel leader Alma Coin saying that district 13 and all other districts would be bombed to the ground unless the rebellion was declared over and all district members returned, not to their homes but to District 12.

Within a week rebel activity had subsided and the districts were running smoothly.

As a show of punishment twelve separate Hunger Games were held one after the other, with only one tribute from each district form any age group, in an attempt to restore power and restore victors.

It worked as there were two victors from District 1, two from District 2, one from District 3, zero from District 4, one from District 5, one from District 6, zero from District 7, two from District 8, one from District 9, one from District 10, one from District 11 and zero victors from District 12 in addition to the surviving victors; one from District 2, one from District 3, two from District 4, one from District 7, and two from District 12.

The districts suffered for a while, with a large number of Peacekeepers that was eventually reduced. The district the suffered the most was District 12 with Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread, who had been taken away the day of the bombing, a largely reduced number of people, people who had never worked with coal and some who had never worked excessively or even came close to starving.

Eventually Panem settled back into its regular routine, with the districts starving, the Capitol gorging themselves and the Hunger Games instilling everyone with fear.

But underneath everything was certain precariousness, a false sense of hope.

Underneath everything it was as if the regularity of Panem was a gasoline soaked pile of wood just waiting for the right match to set it ablaze


	2. With Sorrow Filled Memories

Chapter 1

Johanna sighed staring at the flurry of images on the TV screen. They were doing a rerun of Hunger Games footage, showing the best moments of the surviving victor's Games.

It was mostly things she would have liked to forget along with profiles on each of the new victors'.

Beetee and Enobaria were lucky; they each had at least one new victor to mentor their tributes. Finnick had Annie to help him cope with the pain and the memories. Peeta had Haymitch and Haymitch had alcohol.

But Johanna had no one. As always.

She didn't mind in fact sometimes she preferred the quiet, dark of her house.

In the past her house had always been filled with family and laughter. But the Hunger Games changed that.

They'd killed her parents through convenient accidents that were probably nothing more than accidents. And her youngest sister, just a baby, had died of starvation. That was probably an accident as well.

But the deaths of her other three sisters had been purposeful. When she had taken the house in the Victor's Village but refused to stop working in the timber mills. She liked the work had she didn't have much else to do so she kept at it and gave the unneeded money to poor families in her community.

The Capitol didn't like that, not one bit but there was nothing they could do to stop a victor.

Or so she had thought.

She hadn't realized how much she was part of a game, even deadlier than the Hunger Games, until she had come home one evening to see her house burning down her three little sisters dying inside.

She had tried to run inside, tried to save them but Brandt had held her back saying there was nothing she could do.

He was right of course but that didn't make the pain any less.

The fire had been put out swiftly to prevent it from spreading and all her sisters were burned neatly to a crisp.

Johanna had vomited at that. She who had killed a person by driving an ax through their skull repeatedly.

They had said it was an oven fire but Johanna knew it was a lie. None of her sisters cooked. None of them even touched the oven. She doubted the younger two even knew how to work it.

She had stopped working in the timber mills after that and found comfort in Brandt's arms.

But she had forgotten there were cameras everywhere and had told Finnick the Capitol had killed her family in plain view of one during the next Games. She had also refused to play to the Capitol's twisted agenda.

When she came home Brandt was dead from an 'accident'. This time she knew better than to talk.

But there was no one left for them to kill.

Now as she sat in front of the TV trying to find a channel without the image of her driving an ax through a man's torso but failing to keep the memories down she realized that she had been wrong all this time.

She had had someone, even if she didn't love that person or even particularly like them she had had the other victors.

And now the only ones left who knew the trials she had been through and suffered their own just as bad were spread out across Panem.

Now in the dark of her empty house she was truly alone. And as the rain poured down and the past Games played on, a reminder of the past and the future yet to come, she felt truly alone.

And for the first time in a long time she wished she wasn't. Because being lonely meant the Capitol had no one to hold against her but it also meant she had no one.

No one to be there for her when she woke up screaming. No one to talk to. No one to confide her fears in. No friends. Nothing.

Most times she didn't care. Most days she could laugh at the families she saw. But some days she felt immense regret.

And now as she sat watching the past Hunger Games as she watched the few people she had considered friends, the victors she had connected with through similar situations, slaughter and be slaughtered.

It made her think the Capitol had set up this marathon on purpose. It would make sense with the first real Hunger Games since the end of the rebellion in just a few short months. The Capitol would be trying to make the victors wary, make them nervous. They would be trying to put themselves in a place of power.

Though Johanna doubted anyone would try to start a rebellion any time soon. Not after the friends and families lost. Not after the victors were crushed. Not after the death of the Mockingjay.

Johanna rose from her couch and strode to her kitchen pouring herself a glass of thick alcohol. She walked back to the couch swirling the drink around in the glass in one hand and swinging the bottle in her other hand.

"The Mockingjay ha!" she laughed at the thought, a scared sixteen year old girl with a talent for a bow who had somehow managed to frighten the multicolored pants of the Capitol and spark a rebellion.

It was truly funny that not even District 13, with their so called nuclear weapons, had ever dared to challenge the Capitol outright. And yet Katniss, the Mockingjay, had. In the most unexpected and completely indirect way possible. Because she loved the boy she was supposed to kill.

The mushy gushy star-crossed lovers affect was the complete wrong approach to the rebellion. To quench it, to save it, any part of it really. They gained so many more people by showing Katniss as who she was, hard and intimidating. A fool with her few moments.

But now she was dead so it didn't matter. And Snow had chosen the perfect moment. Not killing her immediately but waiting until the rebels were so sure of themselves and then crushing them.

She had to applaud his ingenious really. Though that didn't make her want to kill him any less. Her eyes strayed back to the screen and she winced as she saw her own Games. She threw the glass behind her, hearing the muffled clink on the carpeted floor, and brought the bottle directly to her lips using the alcohol to cloud her senses against the pain.

Somehow this was worse than watching Enobaria tear someone's throat open with her teeth.

This wasn't the random flow of images the Capitol had been spreading around before but highlights of each of the surviving victors and many of the dead ones. This time the TV showed footage of her throughout the whole Games.

First as a sniffling weakling, then a deadly ax wielding maniac. They even went as far as to show footage of her at her welcome home, cradling each of her sisters, love in her eyes clearly visible.

She drained the bottle at that.

As she was staring at the flickering screen, relieved that they had switched to the next Games, a sudden sound startling her. A sound that rarely was heard in the house of Johanna Mason. A knock on the door.

Johanna waited a moment for a moment to make sure it wasn't her imagination or the TV. A second knock came and she got up grumbling curses about Snow, the Capitol, Peacekeepers, anyone who might be knocking on her door in the middle of the night. But when she yanked open the door, alcohol bottle still in her hand, she saw the one person she never would have imagined to be standing at her doorstep.

Katniss Everdeen. The Mockingjay. Hair in a wild braid, clothes torn, face scratched and sad, clutching a mid-sized leather pack carefully to her chest like it was the only thing holding her to the world.

Johanna's mouth dropped open in astonishment and she blurted out, "WHA… you're supposed to be DEAD! Why aren't you dead?" Johanna studied Katniss' face, saw the crushing sadness and regret in her eyes and suddenly she had a revelation.

"OH CRUD! I fell asleep and this is all a dream! You're gonna start screaming that it's all my fault your dead then I'm going to have to club you to death with this bottle and then you're gonna turn into my sisters and then and and…" she started panicking and panting heavily as the realization of the nightmare light up her mind.

Katniss' eyes glittered with a harsh amusement and she opened her mouth even as Johanna raised the bottle and gripped it like an ax, "Oh this isn't a dream Johanna and I'm certainly not dead. Do you really believe the Capitol would let me off that easy? Are you really that drunk? What are you Haymitch?" Katniss snorted and gestured inside, "Well are you going to invite me inside?"

Johanna continued to stare at her for a while and then cocked an eyebrow in question, "How do I know you're the real Katniss?" she questioned her voice laced with suspicion.

Katniss sighed and clutched the pack she holding tight to her chest, "When we were being held by the Capitol they burned Peeta's hands too severely the first time and he passed out. They had tortured him in front of me and I freaked out screaming and hitting everyone who came near me. So they put me in a cell with you to try and calm me down. The first thing you said to me was, 'Oh hello Birdie! Have you come to rescue me? I don't think your wings are strong enough to carry us both,' then in a lower voice you added, 'It's your fault we're in here if I'm not out in a week I'll kill you.' You never did get the chance to kill me."

Johanna blinked the sighed, "Fine you're the real Katniss, get inside before I change my mind and club you to death."

Katniss walked inside and followed Johanna to the kitchen sitting cautiously on a bar stool eyes once again filling with sadness and a hint of insanity.

Johanna yanked another bottle of alcohol out of her cabinet and poured a glass for herself and another for her guest.

"So," she said still suspicious, "the Capitol just let you go? With no threats or anything? That's hard to believe."

Katniss bit her lip nervously and shifted the pack in her arms cradling it, "I'll tell you my story but you have to tell yours first."

Johanna shrugged and sat in the stool to the left of Katniss, lounging with her legs on the counter. She sipped her drink, cleared her throat and spoke, "Let's see you know about the torturing, I assume you heard most of it," Katniss nodded and Johanna continued, "well when we, Peeta, Annie and I, were rescued we were all disheartened that the Mockingjay was dead. We had seen you shot to death from our cells earlier and it was pretty frightening. Even more frightening was the state of the rebel leaders at the news of your death.

Coin was the only one who didn't care, whereas Plutarch went berserk. It was pretty funny he kept screaming, 'NO NO NO NO! She's the Mockingjay!' He even tried to get your mother to let your sister be filmed saying something about how she wouldn't give up fighting and that neither should the rebels. He kept saying, 'WE HAVE TO GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT MRS. EVERDEEN!' Then she slapped him.

Your mother was probably the only one who didn't break down right away. She held together for a while, trying to be there for your sister I guess, but after she slapped Plutarch she kind of snapped. She stole the kitchen's small supply of alcohol and then got drunk with Haymitch and me on my hospital bed. Then she started sobbing and screaming something about, 'I didn't break my promise Katniss! I didn't go away this time. I stayed strong for Prim! But sometimes it's so hard! FORGIVE ME!' Then she threw the bottles at the door and hit a soldier coming to confiscate the alcohol in the head.

That was pretty scary actually. Haymitch's reaction was funny. He was really mopey and once or twice I caught him with a tear in his eye.

Your sister cried a lot and she was so sweet anytime she started crying random people would go up to her and comfort her.

The rest of the survivors from District 12 all walked around sharing stories, memories and grieving in their own ways.

Peeta shut himself into his room for days and never came out; they had to slip food in through a hole in his door.

Your friend Gale went around with a stormy look on his face and practically threw himself into battle plans with Beetee.

When the actual 'the Mockingjay is dead' message came out it didn't affect us much accept to spur the rebels on and they were able to capture Districts 6 and 8. The worst part was that after the message aired a canister supposedly filled with your ashes came down in a silver parachute along with your Mockingjay pin and a note that said it was for Peeta.

Unfortunately Gale went to retrieve the canister and took the pin for himself, claiming that you never really loved Peeta. Haymitch got excited at the prospect of a death match and so decided to tell Peeta what had happened.

Peeta came sprinting out of his room all the way to the cafeteria where he tackled Gale and demanded your pin. The two started wrestling until they were separated and began a screaming match that ended with Peeta shouting, "SHE CONFESSED HER LOVE TO ME WHEN WE WERE BEING HELD BY THE CAPITOL! I ALWAYS LOVED HER AND ALWAYS WILL! SHE NEVER LOOKED AT YOU AS ANYTHING MORE THAN A FRIEND!"

Gale got mad and flung the pin at Peeta before storming off. That was the first time Peeta had said anything since he locked himself in his room.

After that things quieted down until the Capitol sent out their death threat. It didn't take the rebel leaders long at all to decide to send us packing. They decided that if we would ever have a chance at rebellion in the future than District 13 needed to survive. So Peacekeepers swarmed the place and made sure every person who wasn't dead captured or in the districts already was accounted for and took a person from District 13 for every person missing.

I was sent here and have been living in my humble abode surviving and nursing my wounds for the past year or so. It's quite lonely and depressing. I love it." Johanna finished talking and drained her glass before saying, "All right your turn Katniss."

Katniss shifted and started talking in a blank flat tone, "I won't go into the torturing but I still have nightmares about it. Eventually Snow came to me and said I could see Peeta but first I had to prove I really loved him. So they sat me in a room and asked me question after question until they were sure I was telling the truth. And I really do love him, there's nothing like a near death experience to make you have a sudden epiphany about your love life.

After they were satisfied with my answers they brought Peeta in. when I saw him something inside me burst and I flung myself at him sobbing and telling him how much I loved him and was sorry I hurt him. We had a few fleeting moments together before they pulled him away.

It was always like that, he would stumble into my room sometime during the evening and we would embrace and fall asleep in each other's arms. In the morning he was always gone and I thought our nights together were dreams. I still don't have a clear grasp on what was real or not.

Eventually he stopped coming and I got scared. So scared that they had killed him, taken him away from me. I had to find him, to see if he was okay.

At that time they had started sending in doctors to see me every single day, to inject me with medicine and monitor my health. I could never figure out why.

But one day I managed to catch my doctor by surprise and stab him in the neck with a sedative. I ran from the room, ran through the halls screaming for Peeta. Eventually the guards found me and shot me, though with sedative darts not bullets.

After that not even the doctors came for a while. I was all alone, left to my growing fears. Then one day Snow appeared with a full team of doctors and the news of your escape.

I was ecstatic that Peeta was safe, along with you and Annie, but miserable that he had been taken from me. Without Peeta I had no one left to live for.

Until Snow bared his teeth at me in what I suppose must have been a smile and told me I was pregnant.

Every one of my dreams of Peeta had been memories and I finally understood why they had let me live. So they could suppress me.

They wanted to punish me and yet keep me under control.

The next eight or so months passed by with many escape attempts and thoughts of suicide. But I could never bring myself to end the life within me and my attempts of escape always failed.

After my child, Peeta's child, was born he was taken away from me until he was three months old and strong enough to face the hardships of the districts.

They told me I was going to be sent here under the rouse of being your sister, once captured by an angry Capitol and now set free.

The day before I was sent here Snow made a deal with me. I behave don't spark a rebellion or do anything dangerous and he won't kill my son. Won't subject him to the Hunger Games. I accepted the deal because I can't imagine a life without my baby, so sweet and innocent.

But what Snow doesn't know is that if he makes the first move, if he breaks his promise, I will start a rebellion and I will kill him.

So here I am your sister, Kitty Mason. And this is your nephew, Aidan Mason," with the last statement she reached into the pack she had been cradling and carefully pulled out a sleeping baby bundled in a blanket. The baby and curly blonde hair covering his head, much like his father's. His face shape though masked by baby fat was also his father's though the when he sleepily opened his eyes they were his mother's grey ones like his nose was a smaller replica of hers. His skin was a mixture of his parents', a light creamy olive tone.

Johanna watched as Katniss cradled the boy her face lit up with happiness and joy, as if this baby in her arms was the only thing keeping her from going insane.

'Actually,' Johanna thought, 'it probably was.'

Over the next few years Katniss and Johanna developed a friendship, one born of hardships and struggling through the same obstacles. Johanna helped Katniss with her nightmares, often waking the other women up with a bucket full of cold water, and Katniss helped Johanna with her own fears, mainly water itself.

Aidan Mason by name but Mellark by birth was sweet child with a natural happiness that rivaled his father's and aunt's. The people of District 7 did not know who he truly was but anyone who met him adored him.

Deep in her heart Katniss suspected Snow would break his promise and with Johanna and the adults of District 7 planned a rebellion to spring forth should Snow ever actually break his promise.

Every year the Hunger Games came and went with deaths and tragedy as always. The districts struggled on and held close to their victors, for they were the ones who suffered the most.

The Capitol sat unsuspecting of the distrust and rebellion brewing around them.

And Katniss Everdeen masqueraded herself as Kitty Mason waiting for the spark to burn Snow to the ground.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.**

**So thank you to everyone who read and special thanks to those who reviewed!**

**To Roza Ish: I'm sorry you thought this was freaky but it's going to more or less stay on the same path. Hopefully it won't be as freaky though at some point I'm planning Katniss to go on a savage rampage and I will probably describe her experiences, other than the torturing, more in depth. If you don't want to read this I suggest my other Hunger Games fic 'The Beginning of Us' lots of Peeta Katniss in that and its definitely not creepy:)**

**To iam97: thank you for reviewing and for your advice on the rating! I hope you keep reading!**

**And those were my anonymous reviewers, if you review with an account I'll always make sure to reply… so please review!**

**Aidan's name is Gaelic and means 'little fire' thought that was appropriate. And yes I mean Aidan not Aiden which is a form of Aidan. Thank you google:)**

**Thank you for reading and I hope I got Johanna in character… if Katniss seems OOC that's because 1. She has now gone through different experiences and 2. Whoops!**

**Anyway please review feedback is appreciated!**


	3. With Angry Explosions

Chapter 2

**Twelve years and three months after the last chapter.**

Reaping day. The thought had always made me cringe and imagine the people around me killing each other in mad frenzy. When I was younger the worst thing that could happen was that Prim or I would be Reaped. But I was completely wrong.

Everything I had been through was worse. I had had to fight for my life in the Games not once but twice. I had been torn away from my family and the one person in this world I love more than my sister. And I had suffered through endless awful torture.

The only good thing I got out of the Games was Peeta. And from Peeta I received a son. A son whose life is perhaps the only thing keeping me from burning the Capitol to the ground.

But if Snow slips up for even an instant, if he breaks his promise there will be absolutely nothing stopping me from breaking my promise and bringing the full force of a rebellion down on his head.

He thinks he has me wrapped around his finger, thinks all the cards are in his hand, but I have twelve years of carefully laid plans, a District full of support and enough rage to burn a house down at my side.

After everything Snow has taken away from me, from the Districts, from all of Panem I intend to make him pay.

Today as I walk towards the District's center, under the guise of Kitty Mason, I glance at my son and can't help but think of Peeta.

How Peeta will never know how long I've loved him and how long I was in denial.

I can only hope that Peeta believed me when I told him I loved him.

I can only hope that he still loves me.

I can only hope that Peeta will be proud of his son.

His son, Aidan, has his father's blonde hair, strong build, and ability to talk to anyone about any topic and still make them feel special. Aidan has my grey eyes, temper, and talent with a bow. Aidan is the perfect mix of both of us and looking at him never fails to lift the heaviness of my heart.

When he was eight I had him helping out at the baker's shop so he would have that connection with his father. He has learned every survival skill I can teach him.

I have no faith that Snow will keep his promise. I never expected him to, but I had to hope. I can only hope that even if Aidan is Reaped that he will be able to survive until I can fully execute my plans.

Walking towards the District Center from the house Aidan and I share with Johanna gives me the perfect opportunity to work my mind into the mold of Kitty Mason. Simple-minded, slightly insane, Kitty Mason, who was supposedly captured by the Capitol after Johanna's Hunger Games for disciplinary reasons and then released after the rebellion was crushed twelve years ago.

The very character created shows the Capitol's insolence and complete disregard for their citizen's feelings. Johanna had once had four younger sisters, all now dead. All had had names starting with the letter 'J' and none had had hair that resembled the dirty blond wig that the Capitol had sent me.

"Ma?"

I was pulled out of my thoughts by my son's voice.

"Yes Aidan?" I asked a smile on my face.

"Ma, what if I get Reaped?" My smile disappeared and I shuddered.

"Umm, well, it's very unlikely that you will Reaped because your name is only in the bowl once. But if you are Reaped your Aunt Johanna will do everything she can to make sure you survive." I desperately tried to reassure him, struggling to keep the pained expression of my face.

I was saved by Johanna, "Don't worry kid if you are Reaped your mother will throw such a crazy fit the Capitol will be forced to pardon you from 'dutiful service' so as not to bring her incredible wraith and might down onto all of Panem, leading our beautiful country into many weeks of chaos and finally ending in an immense battle lasting until she comes out victorious and the butterflies rule us all." Johanna said all this with an incredibly straight face staring blankly at her 'nephew' before breaking out into loud guffaws.

Aidan's scared expression dissolved into giggles at his 'aunt's' silliness. He continued to ask her about this wondrous battle completely distracting himself from his previous fears.

Luckily Johanna's sarcasm lasted long enough to finish the walk to the district center, where we split up; Johanna went to the stage to stand with the Mayor, and District 7's escort Orinda Applegoose, Aidan was whisked off to stand with the other twelve years by a Peacekeeper, and I walked over to stand by the fellow adults. I was quickly encircled by a few of my fellow mothers and rebels of District 7 all of them chattering to hide their obvious unease. Despite years of planning I didn't think any of them really wanted to go through with the rebellion, they would of course follow the plan but none of them really wanted to.

Except maybe Aphina Tryce and her husband, who had lost their three middle children to the Games. Their oldest son was in his 30s and safe but their youngest and only daughter, Luinda, was eighteen and still had a good chance of being Reaped. In my mind it made sense that if Aidan was Reaped Luinda would be as well, to keep the audience from focusing too much on his age, or features and talents.

As the rapidly talking crowd of women pulled me from my thoughts, I slipped into the mindset of Kitty. I smiled with my mouth open a little too wide and my eyes slightly crossed and babbled happily.

"Attention, attention District 7! Welcome to the Reaping of the 88th Hunger Games! Your esteemed Mayor will give the traditional speech and after that will get to what you all came here for!" Orinda Applegoose trilled shrilly and giggled as she ushered Mayor Lyrchton, a short balding man who ate bark like Capitol children ate candy, forward.

As the Mayor droned on about the history of the Districts, I stared at Orinda trying to decide whether or not she would support us.

The over excited escort had bright yellow hair modeled into the shape of a beehive, natural as well, and wore green gloves, a purple dress adorned with foam ducks and six inch orange heels. She had a bubbly attitude and a squeaky voice and was often more annoying than Effie, but Johanna said she had her moments of wisdom. Johanna was going to try to see if she could be trusted with our plans.

Apparently the Mayor was done talking, whether he knew it or not, because Orinda snatched the microphone from his hands and announced that it was now time for 'the good part'.

"It is an honor to participate in the Games, but of course only two lucky children can be Reaped. So we'll start with the girls!" she giggled and stuck her hand in the bowl fishing around carefully for a while before she grabbed a single slip of paper and pulled it out without her usual flourish.

"Luinda Tryce!" Orinda's voice faltered a bit and she didn't give her usual commentary, instead waving for Luinda to join her on stage. Beside me Aphina was being comforted by the women surrounding me and her husband and eldest son.

I could not move. I was wishing with every fiber of my being that my son was not called. I willed Snow to keep his promise.

Orinda's voice rose once more, "Now for the boys!" I held my breath as Orinda pulled a slip of paper from the boys' bowl, "Aidan Mason! Oh goody, you get to follow in your auntie's footsteps dearie! How exciting!"

Aidan walked up onto the stage with a look of pure terror and I felt my anger surge to a point it had never been before. A screeching sound rose to my ears and I flung myself through the crowd intent on saving my child.

**On District 12's Train towards the Capitol**

Peeta and Haymitch sat on the train watching the Reapings with Effie and their two tributes, Marilyn Tarn, 13, and Birch Spryce, 17. So far nothing was out of the ordinary aside from the fact that District 7's Reaping had been completely skipped over. Haymitch had raised his eyebrow at Peeta but said nothing. Peeta discussed different strategies with the tributes after Effie excused herself. Both were of the opinion that they should act as allies until there were only a few other left to try to avoid killing each other.

When Haymitch began to sneak sips from his flask, Peeta dismissed the two and told them to get as much sleep as they could.

After they left Haymitch drained the flask in one gulp and shouted out the door for someone to bring him a decent bottle of wine.

"Haymitch, why did they leave out District 7's Reaping?" Peeta asked.

Haymitch gave him a skeptical look, "Well I won't even pretend to know what the Capitol's thinking but my guess is that something happened that the Capitol doesn't want the public to know. Probably something big and rebellious. They've learned from their mistakes; the last rebellion was spurred on by districts copying what the other districts were doing. We'll just ask Johanna when we see her."

Peeta was about to open his mouth to reply when the TV flickered on and Panem's seal shone brightly before being replaced by the rebels' sign, a Mockingjay stamped on a silver coin. It flashed defiantly before melting away into the missing Reaping.

Under normal circumstances Peeta and Haymitch kept a commentary going of Johanna, Orinda Applegoose and of District 7 itself, but at the moment all they could do was watch the screen and try to discern why on Earth the Capitol had not wanted to show this and the rebels of District 13 had.

It started off normally, with Orinda Applegoose wearing some outfit that only a Capitol person could love. The mayor ate bark in his usual fashion and droned on for a while before Orinda snatched the microphone away.

"It is an honor to participate in the Games, but of course only two lucky children can be Reaped. So we'll start with the girls!" she giggled and stuck her hand in the bowl fishing around carefully for a while before she grabbed a single slip of paper and pulled it out without her usual flourish.

"Luinda Tryce!" Orinda's voice faltered a bit and she didn't give her usual commentary, instead waving for Luinda to join her on stage. At first Peeta and Haymitch thought nothing special of the girl but when she walked onto the stage, her face set in a pained grimace, they realized she bore resemblance to a few previous tributes.

Orinda's voice rose once more, a tremble just barely detected, "Now for the boys!" Orinda pulled a slip of paper from the boys' bowl, "Aidan Mason! Oh goody, you get to follow in your auntie's footsteps dearie! How exciting!"

A small boy, who couldn't possibly have been more than twelve walked slowly onto the stage. In the seconds they had to take in his features before a chaos that could only be described as all hell breaking loose fell down, quite literally, on the center of District 7 both Peeta and Haymitch noticed three things.

Peeta noticed the boy's youth, the innocence in his eyes and the awful heart breaking way he held his head. It was as if he knew he was going to die very soon.

Haymitch however had always been much more watchful and observant than Peeta. Even when he was half drunk. Haymitch noticed the shape and familiarity of the boy's grey eyes, the way his blonde hair curled against his jaw, and the grim line of his mouth that said he wanted to be optimistic but couldn't possibly understand how that would be achievable.

Both victors noticed the stiffening of Johanna and the way her eyes roamed frantically over the crowd searching for someone. And three seconds later they found out who.

A roar of incredible anger filled the area, every head turned and a few children screamed as a woman tore her way through the crowd. She paid no attention to the people around her and with a great running leap tackled one of the cameras. Not the cameraman but the literal camera. She stared into it her grey eyes wide and half crazed.

"You've broken your promise Snow. Bad, bad president man," she shook her head, dirty blonde hair flying everywhere and then gave a snort of demonic laughter, "But now I'm going to kill you."

More maniac laughter rang through as the woman punched the camera shattering the glass. As she stepped into view of the other cameras Peeta and Haymitch saw Peacekeepers run towards her. She let herself be dragged away screaming about broken promise.

Throughout the woman's talk with the camera Peacekeepers had been restrained by furious citizens and a few had even had to draw weapons. Johanna herself stood, still one hand on each tributes' shoulder. A faint smile graced her face and Haymitch thought he saw her mouth something. As the woman, who both victors had realized was probably Johanna's sister and the boy tribute's mother, was dragged away Johanna turned both of them around and walked straight to the train, knowing there would be no way they would be able to say goodbye to their families.

Suddenly one of the huge lights set up for the cameras fell down exploding on impact with the dirt ground. It sent a wave of broken glass and sparks of light everywhere as the people of District 7 ducked down and covered their heads and scream filled the air. The screen showed the rebels seal once more before returning to reruns of previous Hunger Games.

Peeta looked at Haymitch saying, "Do you think they'll be okay?" at the same time that Haymitch guffawed, "Well that was entertaining."

Peeta rolled his eyes at Haymitch and helped the older, now more than half drunk, man out of his chair. Haymitch pushed him away and stumbled to his room grumbling all the way.

That night both Peeta and Haymitch turned thoughts of the troubling Reaping over in their heads. Peeta however was able to fall asleep much sooner than Haymitch.

The scruffy drunkard himself spent the entire night going over the entire Reaping. And though he was never able to sleep and he had decided to confront Johanna as soon as he saw her there were three things that he was absolutely sure of.

One: A new rebellion was brewing, if it hadn't already started.

Two: Johanna had mouthed the words, 'And so it begins.'

And three: The half crazed woman, Johanna's sister and the male tribute's mother, had been wearing a blonde wig, because when she shook her head at the camera the wig slipped to reveal little bits of her true hair color. Black.

**AN:**

**Dude I haven't updated in forever. I'M SO SO VERY SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME GRET PEOPLE OF FANFICTION! **

**And also review so I can learn and improve and such from your feedback! If you're confused at all I won't be able to explain unless you ask. And I value your opinions.**

**So Review! Please!**

**And to anyone who I said something about updating fast and than didn't update fast I'M SORRY! I cannot predict when life will decide that I need a distraction that makes me not want to write. Bleh. **

**To my anonymous reviewers from last chapter:**

**Emily: Thank you for reviewing and I'm sorry it took so long! I have large gaps in my inspiration. Please continue to review!**


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